Kaduna State is located in Northwest Nigeria. The state is one of the education centres in Nigeria, with many colleges. The current governor is Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

Kaduna State Latest News & Updates

In this post, we take a look at the latest news update on Kaduna State.

Kaduna: Fresh Attack Claim Lives (January 14, 2019)

According to reports from News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), no fewer than three persons were feared dead during an attack by unidentified gunmen on Sunday night between Asso and Tanda bridge in Gwong Chiefdom of Jema’a Local Government Area of Kaduna state.

Mr Peter Averik, Chairman of the Local Government, who confirmed the development to NAN on Monday, said the attack took place around 7:30 pm when unidentified gunmen opened fire on innocent persons who were walking along the Asso and Tanda bridge.

In a recent statement, the governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai revealed that President Buhari is committed to security in Kaduna state. In fact, the governor spoke of how Buhari had asked Aliko Dangote to put N5 billion to build the Kaduna-Birnin road. The funding from Dangote is as a result of the tax benefit he has enjoyed from the Federal government.

The request by the President is part of his commitment to stopping insecurities in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna state.

The governor made this disclosure at his campaign rally on Wednesday, January 8. He also said that security agencies were working on the gathered information which showed that insurgents who had been attacking Katsina and Zamfara states have now turned to Birnin Gwara and Chikun Local Government Areas.

The APC Solidarity Forum (ASF) a group affiliated to the APC has asked Senator Shehu Sani to publish his completed constituency projects so far.

According to the pro-APC group, Sani has abandoned his primary assignment and has delved into futile engagements on social media. The group also claimed that the senator was allocated the sum of N380 million for the purpose of completing constituency projects.

The ASF further revealed that the senator should reveal his completed projects to residents and stop making empty rhetoric on President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Nasir El-Rufai and the APC in the media.

In response to these claims, the special adviser to Senator Shehu Sani on political ideology, Suleiman Ahmed revealed that no National Assembly member receives cash for constituency projects.

Ahmed further revealed that the lawmakers only identify projects in their constituencies for the Federal Government to embark on. However, the AGF were unsatisfied with Ahmed’s defence as they further revealed that they had received shocking information from www.tracka.ng that revealed projects and money voted for the Kaduna central constituency. According to the group, the records revealed that the highest allocation was for the construction of N150m Primary Healthcare Centre in Kaduna Central.

In the tracka report, the second highest amount was N50m, earmarked for supply of hospital equipment in Giwa LG; another N50m for the provision of sewing machines and Grinding Machines for women empowerment in the Kaduna central senatorial zone.”

Moreover, ASF claimed that another N40m was allocated to the provision of modern farm equipment in the senatorial zone. It said: “This was closely followed by yet another allocation of N40m for the provision of agricultural equipment in the Senatorial Zone.” The group also said available records from the tracka report also revealed that another N50m was allocated for the provision of tricycles for youth empowerment in the senatorial zone. In a report signed by the group’s chairman, Hafiz Ali Kujama, the ASF said that the expectation of the people of Kaduna Central was that Sani would not waste precious time on tantrums and diversionary attention-seeking in the media but delivering on his mandate, especially within the whooping allocation of N380m under his watch.

Furthermore, the group alleged that Sani has abandoned his primary responsibility and has delved into needless quarrels with those he sees as political rivals instead of devoting it to use of the over N300m provided for his constituency’s projects before and up to the year 2018.

ASF also stated that they were not even asking questions about the N13.5 million he himself confessed to collecting every month and another N750,000 monthly as Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial Zone in the last three years. But certainly, in due course we will ask more questions about all the millions so far allocated to the Zone so that the voters of the Zone would be sufficiently guided. The group further claimed that the media visibility of the senator has been more about picking quarrels with people who helped him win the election in 2015 than initiating any bills for the development of Kaduna Central, while monies meant to develop the poor voters of Kaduna Central have remained unaccounted for.

The group asked constituents to focus on specific records of the Constituency Projects that can be credited to Senator Shehu Sani between 2015 and now to ascertain whether he can be voted again by the people.

The special adviser to the senator reiterated that no senator collects constituency projects money. In fact, the senator can only say I want this and that project for my constituency and the Federal Government will put it in the budget. The senator will not even know the contractor once the project is endorsed. Also, there is a limit because each senator has equal annual constituency projects budget, but I can tell you no cash is given to any senator or House of Representatives member for constituency projects.

So, it is not possible for Senator Shehu Sani to embezzle the constituency projects money according to Ahmed.

The adviser further praised his boss revealing that he built three hospitals among other numerous projects for his constituency. He also sponsored the highest bills and motions in the history of Kaduna central senatorial zone.

Yinka Odumakin, the Afenifere spokesperson has revealed that El-Rufai was pivotal to the appointment of Amina Zakari in Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

According to Odumakin who is also an activist, the Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir el-Rufai recommended Zakari and not President Muhammadu Buhari. He further revealed that the recommendation to appoint Zakari happened during the former President Jonathan’s tenure.

Odumakin’s position is contrary to the public belief that it was President Buhari who did so. The Afenifere spokesperson made this known on Tuesday, January 8. He said that the choice of Zakari came up after former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan asked that Civil Society Organisations (CSO) to nominate someone befitting for the office.

The activist said he was then directed by El-Rufai to submit her CV to Oronto Douglas, the late special adviser on research, documentation, and strategy to the former president. When Nasir el-Rufai joined the nomination team, he told the committee that there was this woman that worked with him as health secretary when he was the FCT minister. He said she was very savvy and he spoke very well of her. He said she was abroad, so it took about two or three days to get her CV which Odumakin collected from Nasir El-Rufai and gave to Oronto Douglas.

The President at the time, Goodluck Jonathan didn’t know who she was when he saw her name on paper. Odumakin also stated that it is unfortunate that the Presidency is lexically challenged to the point that they don’t know the definition of a niece. The activist quoted the definition of niece from the Oxford dictionary which indicated that your brother or sister’s daughter or your brother-in-law or sister-in-law’s daughter.

The Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaura LGA of Kaduna state, Shemang Donatus, has revealed that the party will win all seats in the state as the Kaura LGA is a stronghold of the PDP in Kaduna as the lawmakers in the state are from the local government.

Donatus further revealed that after the elections, the party would build on what have been achieved in past few years. The chairman revealed this during an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Manchok on Monday, January 7. He described Kaura LGA as the live wire of PDP in the northwest zone. He further revealed that even the senator repressing Kaduna south at the Senate is from the PDP and I want to assure that PDP will retain the whole positions in the local government.

However, they are not taking their popularity and the people confidence for granted as they are strategizing and putting all the necessary structures on ground to make it happen.

According to Donatus, the PDP are with the people and the people are with the party as they are always consulting with the people and resolving issues through dialogue. He further revealed that the people are listening to them and he has no fear that the PDP will win all the seats.

Sani has accused Kaduna state’s first lady of perpetrating what he considered as hate speech against him.

The senator asked the Governor, Nasir El Rufai to caution his wife to desist from the act or he would report her to religious authorities.

Senator Sani also expressed disappointment in Miyetti Allah’s decision to endorse one Fulani son (President Buhari) over another (Atiku Abubakar) Senator Shehu Sani of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) has accused wife of the governor of his state Kaduna of carrying out hate speech against him. In a post on his social media accounts on Facebook and Twitter on Saturday, January 5, the senator representing Kaduna central urged the Governor Nasir El-Rufai to caution his wife for always making her campaign issues about his hair.

The outspoken senator said he considered the action of the governor’s wife as an attack on his person and a hate speech. He warned that if the governor does not call his wife to order, he would report her to religious authorities in the state.

He further wrote in a separate tweet on Friday, January 4, where he slammed the foremost association of cattle herders in Nigeria, the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria (MACBAN) for supporting one Fulani son against another in the oncoming presidential election.

According to the senator Sani, MACBAN has put itself in a difficult position by taking such a partisan move. To him, the group, which represents all Fulanis, should have been neutral on the matter. Senator Sani’s words come just days after Miyetti Allah announced that it had endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari for the 2019 presidential election. The group’s national president, Muhammadu Kirowa, made the announcement at its 2018 annual general meeting.

Governor Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai encouraged traders to help in sensitising their members and the general public to approach INEC to collect their cards.

He also cautioned the electorate against surrendering their PVC or its details to people going around, saying the motive of the opposition party was to clone and invalidate their PVCs

The Governor further revealed that there are over a million Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) yet to be collected in the state. The governor made the statement when traders of the popular Kaduna textile market, KasuwanBarci, paid him a visit at the government house in Kaduna to back his second term bid, the Nation reports. He urged the traders to help in sensitising their members and the general public to approach INEC to collect their cards. Also, the governor commended the traders for investing in the economy of the state and for creating opportunities for youths in the market. He then restated his administration’s commitment to assist them in boosting their businesses, saying Kaduna state government welcomes and encourages investors.